Ramadan Diaries: El Leila El Kebira
El Leila el Kebira ( The Big Night)
الليله الكبيرة
We arrived in el Mu’ezz street just in time to find a spot to sit in near the side walk. My cousin and mother and I embarked on an adventure after iftar to go el Mu’ezz street to attend Egypt’s most favored muppet show, El Leila el Kebira. It was written by Salah Jaheen, who was one of Egypt’s most talented writers and poets. The music was composed by Sayed Mikawy, also one of Egypt’s great composers and musicians. Their collaboration together in this little muppet until this day touch the heart of every Egyptian.
The small muppet theater was set in a big round about right in front Qalwaun’s dome. The lighting was beautiful. And although the performance was in the street, everyone was taking their places in front of the litte wagon (the stage) way early in the evening. My cousin and I squeezed in and managed to get seated beside some kids.
Once the music started, everyone, old and young, was singing along. El Leila el Kebira is so popular and everyone knows the words. Ironically though, not everyone knows what it refers to. The Big Night, as it is called, is about the last or biggest night in moulid celebrations. Moulids are the celebrations of the birth day of saints. It’s a tradition that started with the Fatimids and the activities that take place in moulids go back all the way to ancient Egypt.
The last night is usually the biggest night and in Jaheen’s muppet show depict scenes from that night, the belly dancer, the children dancing and playing, the vendor of Hommos (chick peas), the mother looking for the lost child, the circus. As the celebration goes on the whole night , the muppet show, like the actual events, ends with the call for fajr (dawn) prayers, then everything becomes quite and everyone leaves.
We couldn’t stop singing and laughing afterwards as we took a stroll down the street to see all the mosques. As our crowed dispersed, a new one was forming, and everyone scurrying for their seats. They were going to repeat the performance again.
Posted in Semitic Language - Arabic
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